And you think your garden’s small?

Last summer, while working on my book The Edible Balcony (out April 7 next year published by Kyle Cathie, folks), I discovered a tiny balcony in north London that rather blew my mind. I’ve always thought I had a small garden – 50 foot by about 15 – and constantly whinge about the fact to anyone within earshot, but this 9 x 6 foot ledge is positively Lilliputian. With a heady dash of Heath Robinson thrown in.

As someone who struggles to bend a coat hanger into a different shape sucessfully I find the fact that someone has managed to rig up a self-watering system from their roof via bathroom piping, an old olive oil barrel and floorboards found in skips completely dumbfounding. The micro gardener on high is Mark Ridsdill-Smith and his recent announcement that he’s grown £669-worth of food there seemed bonkers enough to be worth talking to him about. So I coaxed him away from his microgreens for half an hour for this piece in last week’s The Sunday Telegraph – just don’t mention the runner beans.

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2 thoughts on “And you think your garden’s small?”

Thanks for commenting and for reading my book – and in Canada too! Going global, people! Glad your growing season has been a success – have you tried Mara des Bois strawberries yet? In another league taste-wise I reckon. Plus everbearing so you get more than one crop a year. Wrap up warm, I hear it gets quite cold over there…

Hi Alex
Hope your gardening season went well. Great news about the new book. I’ve read the first one and really enjoyed it. Just finished a gardening season with more of a focus on vegetables this year – plus strawberries and blueberries. Mostly successful so inspired to do more next year.